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Aruba Instant vs NETGEAR Insight Access Points comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 31, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Aruba Instant
Ranking in Wireless LAN
10th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
51
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
NETGEAR Insight Access Points
Ranking in Wireless LAN
21st
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
12
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Wireless LAN category, the mindshare of Aruba Instant is 2.0%, up from 2.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NETGEAR Insight Access Points is 1.3%, down from 1.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Wireless LAN
 

Featured Reviews

Alessandro Salvadori - PeerSpot reviewer
Comes at a good price and has a good cloud console
We usually sell Aruba Instant where there is no need for more than four or five switches. It is generally recommended for very small companies where we don't need more than three or four switches We are using it only for very small companies. We have had a reduction in time, but it is not that…
Piyush Jain - PeerSpot reviewer
A product with load-balancing features that offers scalability to its users
My major problem is right now, the area which I need to cover is around 7,000 to 10,000 square feet, where even the mesh routers don't work out for me because it is a huge area to be covered. To cover huge areas, I will have to put extenders. I will have to use mesh routers with extenders to cover a whole huge area with Wi-Fi. I would like NETGEAR Insight Access Points to extend the area coverage they provide. One of the major problems I see is that when you try to use NETGEAR Insight Access Points, the huge amount of options that are there can only be handled by a person who is experienced or knows the process. So there should be a guide that walks anyone through different options and different things about how to go work with the UI.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Aruba Instant is a cloud-managed solution that can be managed from the cloud."
"The most valuable features of Aruba Instant are management and performance."
"The deployment is easy."
"The deployment guides that we get from Aruba are excellent."
"We like being able to merge Aruba Instant to mobile via Bluetooth. You are also able to perform a lot of functions remotely such as creating an SSID IP."
"In terms of stability, Aruba Instant is the best on the market."
"It is easy to use, manage, and implement."
"The cost is low, and there is controller-less architecture."
"The initial setup of NETGEAR Insight Access Points was straightforward."
"[Being] able to configure the WiFi devices and to see utilization remotely, or from the cloud."
"The product's deployment is straightforward."
"I now have the ability to remote access my network. That works extremely well. I can access it from any place. I don't need to be physically at the device. This saves me on time and travel."
"From the WiFi aspect, it's very intuitive and easy to use. The solution enables me to manage my entire WiFi from anywhere in the world..."
"Our company sometimes uses the solution's technical support, and we have seen that they sort out our general problems quickly."
"I'm able to do a lot of things, because the GUI is designed very well. I'm able to remotely make certain changes via my phone and apply them right away. It makes life easier when it comes to managing the equipment. The Insight management solution phone app is very good. It enables me to do what I want to do."
"We use NETGEAR's Insight management solution to do off-property controls. It is user-friendly and provides network management, monitoring, and service deployment across multiple remote and local sites. That means I don't have to be physically at a location to do things if I want to make any changes to the network. It saves time and money."
 

Cons

"It uses a different portal and has limitations from the customer side as it's not refined for MSP."
"The network planner could be improved. You should be able to import a floor plan, and the application should suggest the optimal placement of your devices."
"The Central cloud management (optional) is far behind the competition in features, ease of use, and dependability. I have tried Aruba Central a few times over the years and, in my option, it is not where it needs to be for serious consideration in production environments."
"The solution should be able to support more users on the access points."
"The product's high cost is an area where improvements are required."
"I think they're missing roadmaps to the partners and the customers. They're releasing the products, but there are no quick updates to the partners and the customers."
"I think that the next release should offer IP phone security/firewall."
"The reach of the solution could be improved. It could be a bit stronger."
"Ubiquiti is a very good company. NETGEAR should look at that model and expand on its remote capabilities. Ubiquiti seems to have a better product."
"I have some frustrations with the ease of use. It tends to be sluggish. The graphical interface is pretty, but not useful. They have this tree that shows connected devices, which makes no sense whatsoever because the labeling field of the tree truncates all the items to the point that it's almost useless. You can't even tell what it is. I would prefer a spreadsheet list of the gear as opposed to a graphical representation."
"While the data throughput does provide us with full insight into data being used, we find that it's not very accurate."
"A con is the backend system which is very, very slow."
"The product's UI needs to be simplified and made more straightforward."
"The registration is annoying. I have to go back to NETGEAR and log tickets. Access points and router registration are something that they need to address in Insight. They need to fix the bug of getting the devices activated and enrolled in Insight without fighting with them. I have probably done about six of these in the last month. You get to see patterns."
"The pricing and standard connectivity can be further improved."
"The biggest issue I've had is that it works very well with the WiFi, but it does not offer any assistance at all with the routers. You can't control them or manage them at all. As soon as you want to use anything on the network side—because I have multiple 28-port switches—you can't manage them using this app."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's a one time cost, including the upgrades, but you have to pay on a yearly basis if you want support. The price is in the middle in comparison to that of competitors' products."
"The product is reasonably priced."
"I rate the product's price a five on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive."
"Some in the hospitality industry use the solution because it's cheaper and doesn't require licenses."
"The licensing cost is somewhere around $20,000."
"I would rate the pricing a five out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive."
"I rate the product’s pricing a two out of ten."
"Aruba Instant is affordable."
"It is an expensive solution."
"Their pricing is perfect for smaller businesses who are money and budget conscious. There are a lot of other solutions out there that are two to three times more expensive."
"My company does not need to pay anything related to the solution's licensing costs."
"I can source the stuff pretty quickly wherever I go through the distributor. There is pricing available at NETGEAR if you can spend between $2,000 and $5,000 on a solution. So, there is special pricing that they can help with. The vendor's reps are very responsive. They have a good channel system."
"Price-wise, it is a little too high, about $20 higher than what it should be, but it's worth it. It's cheaper than Cisco's access point, but the products are not apples to apples."
"I think that the price of the product is reasonable."
"It wasn't much more than 100 dollars a year. For the devices that we have, the pricing was pretty fair."
"The pricing seems to be reasonable."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Construction Company
6%
Computer Software Company
14%
Retailer
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Which is better - Ubiquiti WLAN or Aruba Instant?
We researched Ubiquiti and Aruba when looking for a WLAN solution. Ubiquiti offers good WLAN access both indoors and outdoors. It provides an enterprise-level WIFI while remaining cost-effective. U...
What do you like most about Aruba Instant?
I find network management features related to monitoring Wi-Fi usage and visited sites particularly valuable. Content filtering is also important to prevent access to malicious or inappropriate web...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Aruba Instant?
In my experience, Aruba Instant's price is reasonable compared to premium products like Ruckus, Cisco, or Juniper. However, when compared to entry-level market segments, the price is higher. Overal...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Purdue University, Orlando Magic, Brussels Airport Company, Molecaten Holiday Parks
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Find out what your peers are saying about Aruba Instant vs. NETGEAR Insight Access Points and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
861,524 professionals have used our research since 2012.